Unexpected Carburetor Ice Encounter

My flight instructor and I encountered carburetor ice unexpectedly in a warm, dry area. This shows how I responded and how my instructor taught me a very important lesson.
Companion blog post: seanharger.com...

[@tds456]

That is a great instructor letting you learn that way. Will definitely stand to you in the future.

[@mkennedy0]

That’s a great CFI. Let you experience the process and work through it, great job guys

[@yaosio]

"Do a checklist." "I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas!" "Do the checklist."

[@ryancrazy1]

dang, that CFI was cool as hell. he had to have had an idea of what it was, and knew he could fix it quick with carb heat if it got worse.

[@lordcraycray2921]

And that there were about 500 places to land too. Great learning opportunity.

[@amejaremy]

flying over dense mature crops release alot of moisture in the air

[@majestic-skies]

Real great example for student pilots! Just grasping the concept of Carberator icing as I work towards my PPL. Inside the Carberator temperatures can drop as much as 30°c which is why Carb icing can occur up to and including 30°c. Humidity is a BIG factor of course.

[@jacobstump4414]

The physics of carb ice are actually pretty scary - ice is almost ALWAYS forming in the carb venturi, but the ice crystals are small enough to flow out without causing any issue. The carb ice probability chart actually shows probability of ice accumulation in the carb, not the probability of ice formation. And it’s worth pointing out that ice accumulation inside the carb can differ not just by plane model and carb placement, but by the individual carb itself. If the carb is old, imperfections in the inner surface could act as crystallization sites or places where ice can stick and accumulate.

[@MotmedGaming]

I just had carb icing for the first time last week, heart rate went up fast when the rpm started to drop. First reaction was to increase throttle which made the rpm drop even more, then I pulled carb heat and within seconds the rpm went back to normal 😂 My heart rate didnt

[@farmgene]

CFI was teaching! Got your money’s worth. If in a low rpm descent, carb ice can happen.

[@marshie1337]

quality instructor

[@Tom-mu7zy]

I have only seen a bad magnito once. It was in a Cessna 414 over Wyoming and suddenly the left engine ran rough, very rough, I almost shut it down but ran the checklist and when I did the mag check, one mag position made the engine die, both mags made the engine rough and the other mag position made the engine run perfectly. I finished the flight on the good mag. The mechanic later told me that the bad mag was not just dead, it was misfiring at the wrong time.

[@andytheyang]

Excellent video, thanks for sharing

[@cadmanchannel]

Same engine type, different plane, same general area. After steady cruise, went to climb and it didn't respond as expected. First item I reached for was carb heat and a big slug of ice went through the engine making it pause and then normal service resumed. Never before or since.

[@JoshuaTiede-de7dd]

Had this exact same thing happen yesterday in a 172 flying in West Va. Was training with my instructor on Stalls, slow speed flight and and emergency landings. During a stall as we were dropping altitude, with carb heater on. Engine started bucking and loosing rpm as throttle was applied. We had to notify tower and perform an emergency landing. Weather was perfect no rain or humidity Just goes to to show that this can happen anytime.

[@Tom-mu7zy]

I have only seen carb ice one time. It was IFR in a mooney M20 between SNA and SAN. I noticed the student unlocked the vernier control for throttle and push the engine back up to 20 inches manifold pressure. Then a few minutes later he did it again. I asked him why was it necessary to unlock and push the throttle up twice to get the same performance? He quickly asked, "Carbeurator ice?" I said, "How would you test for that?" He pulled on the carb heat and the engine practically quit, sputtered and then quickly came back to normal operations.

[@darronvanaria2952]

I think the Venturi tube inside the carburetor is what causes the sudden drop in air temperature, it doesn’t matter that much how warm it is outside, especially if it’s a humid day. I see some clouds in your video. It’s a compounding problem, because as the engine run less efficient, you get less airflow into the engine, you get more ice. Nice work with the checklist.

[@zozulya2]

A flight instructor i know tought me to do an instrument check every 15 min regardless of flight conditions. Carb heat on for 10 sec, check oil temp, pressure, gas, amps and suction.

[@richardweldon2062]

Should do a carb heat every 15 min or so anyway.

[@Oglongs]

No. That is so wrong. Carb heat is only used in high humidity areas with temps going from 8c to 24c and regular icing conditions as it sends unfiltered air into the carby which can cause FOD damage to the venturi and cylinder wall damage. Dont spread misinformation

[@rinzler9775]

Standard checklist on approach for that aircraft is check if carb heat needed.

[@davea7799]

Only one thing to add here..... if you are doing IFR hood training and you encounter something a real issue like this- remove your hood!! The IFR lesson is OVER at this point, and both pilots should be working to solve the problem without one of them purposefully limiting their field of vision. Overall, very professional.

[@kevingreen7644]

Instructor is badass!!

[@AvgDude]

I fly a 150 with a JPI EM-730 that tells me carb temp. I never let it go below 36 degrees F, even on climb out. I often fly my whole flight after takeoff on cold days with partial carb heat.

[@k.b.322]

Doesn't that affect performance/gph?

[@jeremysmallwood-vb7yb]

Carb heat always on in the decent with engine below 2000revs - he did say they were in decent so that might have been it !

[@CameTo]

Great video, great lesson, great instructor... He's clearly seen this before

[@jimsbasslist]

Checklist checklist checklist.

[@outwiththem]

Lean the mixture a bit when using carb heat. Carb heat enriches the mixture due hot air has less oxigen. Lean it, fanny. No Fear.

[@frdbos547]

Cessna should include a Carb temp gauge like Robinson helicopters do.

[@Simbor-rh1dj]

Or better, go to fuel injection. Carburetor lol.

[@misham6547]

Fuel injection has its own problems

[@khalidalhajri8212]

Dose it cose engine roughness or lose in rpm my exam is tomorrow please help bro

[@eddie-santos]

What's the 172 POH guidance for carb heat? R22 applies up to 80F, but it's rare it's not a concern

[@SeanHarger]

Basically apply carb heat when operating below the green arc on the tach (2000ish RPM). The descent checklist mentions using carb heat "as necessary to prevent carb icing".

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

Really no need to worry much in the valley. There are airports and fields all over the place.

[@weaselsworld]

I agree with all the kudos already offered up here too, but regarding the plane itself (specifically the interior): holy crap is that poor thing run down! It looks like the interior of a 6 year-old rental Ferrari in Vegas! Aren't there maintenance requirements for trim components too, or is it perfectly acceptable to have pieces break off and bang around freely in the cabin mid-flight?

[@pacadet]

That thing looks great compared to some flight school 172s I've been in with crazed windows, cracked dashboards, literally LORAN receivers still in the panel, etc etc etc..

[@Oglongs]

Throttle ice, can for in high humidity areas in temps ranging from 8c to 24c (46-75f).

[@abmbarry]

If you focused more on flying the aircraft and doing a proper check list rather that KZbin vids, It may just save your life one day!

[@jeffbeck8993]

Not a completely unreasonable comment given some folks get their priorities the wrong way around. In this case, placing a camera out of the way and just let it run while you fly, isn't interfering. The real KZbin "work" happens much later, editing and posting at home.

[@abmbarry]

You seem to be rather keen to boast IFR approach.